Newsletter: The Unfolding Story Of Latin America
Newsletter: The Unfolding Story Of Latin America
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, www.popularresistance.org
March 27th, 2016
A very strange piece of legislation was introduced by the right wing Parliament in Venezuela this week; a bill providing amnesty for crimes the oligarchs and their operatives have committed since Hugo Chavez was elected in 1999. This bill provides a catalog of their political offenses over 16 years. In 45 articles, it covers all manner of crimes committed from misdemeanors at a public rally to felonies like terrorist acts involving explosives and firearms. They are essentially admitting exactly what Chavez/Maduro have claimed — crimes to overthrow the government by undermining the economy and creating political havoc. The bill will very likely be vetoed by Maduro and if they override his veto, it may be ruled unconstitutional by the court.
Latin America has been a key battleground in the conflict between neo-liberal capitalism and US hegemony against the growing people power that is demanding a more equitable economy that builds from the bottom up and is more democratic. Venezuela has been the focal point of the campaign against the progressive cycle. The amnesty bill shows the extreme actions the US and oligarchs are willing to take to wrest power from the people and return it to the wealthy business interests. The wealthy have made progress in some key countries leading to people ask whether the progressive cycle has come to an end and what lies ahead for the region.
Return to Neoliberal Oligarchy
Many recognize that Venezuela is the cutting edge that defines the progressive cycle in Latin America. The landslide December 6, 2015 victory of the right-wing Democratic Unity Roundtable, winning two thirds of the seats in Venezuela’s National Assembly elections, was a major turning point in Venezuelan politics. The legislature is now targeting President Maduro for recall, a lengthy process involving collection of signatures and a vote, or they may seek impeachment as is currently being pursued in Brazil. Other countries are also experiencing problems. In “Is South America’s ‘Progressive Cycle’ At An End?” Claudio Katz writes:MesoAmerica Resistance
The year 2015 ended with significant advances of the Right in South America. Mauricio Macri was elected President in Argentina, the opposition gained a majority in the Venezuelan parliament, and Dilma Rousseff is being hounded relentlessly in Brazil. Then there are the conservatives’ campaigns in Ecuador, and it remains to be seen whether Evo Morales will obtain a new mandate in Bolivia.
Add to that the recent visit of President Obama to Cuba and what that means for the future of the Cuban Revolution and the political situation in Honduras; and it is evident that the region is undergoing a major transition. In addition to the US pivot to Asia, there has also been a pivot to Latin America by the United States. The region had been breaking free of US domination, but US intervention in Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina and Cuba, as well as in Ecuador and Bolivia is having an impact.
More:
https://www.popularresistance.org/newsletter-the-unfolding-story-of-latin-america/
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